Buckle.



Al T. VAN ALSTYN. BUCKIQE.

ABPucAnoN man Aue.2s. 1911.

l ,136 ,4151 Patented Apr. 20,1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTD-LI1`HO., WASHINGTON. D. C. f

A. T. VAN ALSTYN.

BucKLE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-28, 19H.

Patented AplnZO, 1915.

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THE NORHS PETERS CO., PHOTU-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D. C.,

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ALBERT T. VAN ALSTYN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUCKLE.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed August 28, 1911. Serial No. 646,346.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT T. VAN ALsTYN, acitizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in buckles, and one of theobjects of the in* vention is to provide an improved, simple, durableand cheap buckle particularly adapted to effectively hold various thickfnesses of fabric or other material.

A further object is to provide an improved buckle of this class whichwill automatically adjust itself to the thicknesses of the material tobe held.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new anduseful objects, as will appear, the invention consists in the featuresof novelty in substantially the construction, combination andarrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described andclaimed and shown in the accompanying drawing exemplifying theinvention, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bandage andsupport, having an improved buckle applied thereto constructed inaccordance with the principles of this invention. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the buckle. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. A isa longitudinal sectional view, showing the position the parts willassume when fabric of somethickness is placed in the buckle. Figs. 5, 6and 7 are detached detail views ofportions of the buckle. Fig. 8 is asectional view on line 8 8, Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a view taken on line 9-9,Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 10 is a detailsectional view of a modified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawing and in the presentexemplification of this invention, the numeral 10 designates generallythe body of the buckle, which may be constructed of any size andconfiguration and `of any suitable sheet material such as metal orV thelike, and is provided with flanges 11 projecting laterally beyond oneface thereof adjacent the side edges of the body and extending theentire length thereof. The lower extremities 12 of the anges 11 arecoiled or bent inwardly, as shown, to form guides for a purpose to behereinafter set forth. A portion of the body 10 is cut` an aperturethere A guide frame, constructed of any suitable l iiexible materialsuch as wire or the like, is formed with spaced parallel arms 17, and alaterally off-set portion 18 at one extremity of the arms. The free endof each arm 17 is also deflected laterally as at 19, and the extremityof these off-set portions 19 are bent downwardly as at 20. Theseportions 20 may be of any desired length and are adapted to move in theguides 12. The deiiected portion 18 of the guide member is adapted toengage over or rest within the open hook 14, and when placed in positionthe extremity of this hook may be deiiected so as to secure the guideagainst accidental displacement. The extremities 2O of the guide memberare adapted to enter and move within the respective guides 12, and areof such a length that the arms 17 of the guide member may be deflectedto some extent without causing the accidental disengagement of theextremities 20 from the guides 12.

Movably mounted upon the guide is a support which is constructed of anysuitable material such as wire or the like, and com` prises a bodyportion 21, the extremities of which are deiected and coiled as at 22 toform spaced tubular portions. These tubular portions receive therespective arms 17 of the guide and the slide may be mounted upon theguide before the extremities of the arms are deflected. When thusmounted, the slide is free to move on the arms. A tongue memberdesignated generally by the reference numeral 23 is pivotally mountedupon the slide 21 between the tubular portions 22 so as to stand betweenthe arms 17. This tongue member is provided with a laterally deflectedportion 24 at one extremity and the free edge of which portion may besmooth or corrugated as desired. This free edge is adapted to coperatewith the teeth 16 in the body portion 10.

The buckle may be employed for any purpose, but in the presentexemplification of the invention it is shown in connection with abandage or napkin 26, the extremity of which napkin is adapted to beprojected through the opening 13 in the body portion of the buckle fromthe rear and then Y thisposition the elasticity of the arms 17 willforce the laterally deflected portion of the tongue member against thenapkin and will in turn force a portion of the napkin beneath the teeth16, as shown in Fig. 4, in which position the extremity of the napkinwill be securely held to the buckle. It will be manifest that theelasticity of the arms 17 will permit the tongue member 23 to beautomatically adjusted so that the buckle will accommodate itself tovarying thicknesses of fabric. When the fabric is se cured within thebuckle, the free extremity of the tongue member will stand in closeproximity to the extremity 27 of the napkin. l/Vhen it is desired toremove the napkin, all that is necessary is to grasp the free end 27thereof and raise it upwardly or away from the-base 10. This movementwill cause pressure on the free end of the tongue member to rock thetongue about its point of pivotal support with the slide 2l and therebymove the free edge of the laterally deflected portion 24 of the tonguemember away from the fabric to release the latter. A further movement ofthe free extremity of the napkin in the same direction will cause theslide 21 together with the tongue 23 to move upwardly toward the top ofthe arms 17, in which position it may be retained by grasping the fslide with one hand, so as to permit the napkin to be freely removed orthe extremity thereof to be readily inserted in the buckle. l/Vhen theslide is released, it will gravitate toward the bottom of the arms, andwhen the tongue member is turned about its pivlotal support on theslide, the laterally deflected'portion 24 will coperate with the teeth16 to secure the napkin. y

The buckle thus constructed may be Secured to the body band 28 in anysuitable manner, such as by means of a tab 29 one extremity of which issecured to the body band and the other extremity passes through a loop30, which loop is connected with the buckle in any suitable manner suchas by means of an elastic member 31, which engages over the top edge 15of the body of the buckle by passing through theopening 13 therein. Thefree extremity of the tab 29 is bent back upon the tab and is secured byany suitable fastening device 32.

It will thus be manifest that with this improved construction the fabricwill not only be securely held by the buckle, but the elasticity of thearms'17 of the guide will per mit the buckle to automaticallyaccommodate itself to varying thicknesses of fabric. lVhen the arms 17are deflected as shown in Fig. 4, the extremities 20 thereof will slidefreely in theV guides 12. 1f Vthe fabric is comparatively thin, it willbe effectively held by the buckle owing to the fact that the arms 17 ofthe guide when the latter are substantially parallel with the body 10,will hold the deflected portion 24 of the buckle against the fabric withsufficient tension to cooperate with the teeth 16 of the body 10 andthereby hold the fabric against slip ping. Furthermore, the napkin maybe removed and the bucklel detached from the body band, so that the bandand napkin may be washed, after which the buckle may be again readilyattached to the band.

In Fig. 10 the guides 12a on the body portion are preferably spaced ashort distance from the extremities of the body. The ends f of the arms17a are bent to form coils 17h with the extremities 17 c forming returnbends. These return bends are inserted in the guides 12a fromthe loweredge of the body portion 10 when the latter is held uprightly so thatthe extremities willV vmove freely in the guides 12a. rl`he coils 17?areV located beyond the extremity of the body portion, and the axes ofthese coils'` are substantially parallel with the pivot of 'the'elasfVtic members or guides 17a.

What is claimed las new is- 1. ln a buckle, the combination of abuckle Yframe, flexible guides supported thereby, a cross bar mounted to slideupon the guides, and a clamping member pivotally mounted upon the crossbar.

2. In abuckle, the combination of a buckle frame, an elastic supportmounted upon the frame, a slide movable on the support, and

a clamping member mounted upon the slide to coperate with the buckleframe?.

3. In a buckle, the combination of a buckle frame, an elastic guide, oneend of said Vguide being fixed to the frame, the otherendY having ayielding connection 'with the frame, and a clamping member slidablyconnected with' the guide and pivotally supported with respect to theguide. i.

4. In abuckle,thecombination of a buckle frame, an elastic guidesupported by the frame, a portion of the guide being fixed with respectto the frame, anotherv portion of the guide having a sliding connectionwith the frame, a clamping member slidably mounted upon the guide andsupportedv for pivotal movement guide.

5. Inabuckle, the combination of a frame, spaced elastic guidespivotally connected adjacent one end with the frame, the other ends ofthe guides having sliding connection with the frame, a slide movable onthe guides, and a clamping member supported by the slide for pivotalmovement with respect to the slide and guides.

6. In a buckle, the combination of a frame, guides supported by theframe and laterally yieldable with respect to the frame, a clampingmember mounted to slide upon the guides, and means supporting theclamping member for said sliding movement and for pivotal movement withrespect to the guides on an axis disposed transversely with respect tothe guides.

7. In a buckle, the combination of a frame, spaced elastic guides, meanspivotally connecting the guides at one end to the frame, open guides onthe frame spaced from the point of pivotal connection of the elasticguides with the frame, the free extremities of the elastic guides beingshaped to slide freely in the respective open guides, a slide mountedupon the elastic guides, and a clamping member pivotally supported bythe slide.

8. In a buckle, the combination of a frame, spaced elastic guidespivotally connected adjacent one end with the frame, the other ends ofthe guides being shaped to form return bends, guides on the frame toreceive the return bends, and in which the latter freely move, a slidemovable on the elastic guides, and a clamping member supported by theslide for pivotal movement with respect to the slide and guides and onan axis disposed transversely with respect to the guides.

9. In a buckle, the combination of a frame,

with respect to the Gopes of this patent may be obtained for ve centseach, by addressing the spaced elastic guides ivotally connectedadjacent one end of the fifame, the other ends of each of the guidesbeing shaped to form coils with the extremities forming return bends,said coils being disposed beyond the edge of the frame and with theiraxes substantially parallel with the axis of the pivot of the elasticmember, and a clamping member supported by the guides for sliding andfor pivotal movements with respect thereto.

10. In a buckle, the combination with a buckle frame, of a flexibleguide mounted on the frame, and a clamping member elastically supportedby the guide and mounted both for free sliding movement thereon and forpivotal clamping movement with the frame.

11. In a buckle, the combination with a buckle frame, of flexibleguidesV at the sides of the frame, and a clamping member elasticallymounted on the guides for free sliding movement thereon and pivotallymounted between the guides for clamping movement with respect to theframe.

12. In a buckle, the combination with a buckle frame having anintermediate toothed projection, of flexible guides at the sides of theframe and a clamping member elastically mounted on the guides for freesliding movement thereon having a clamping portion between the guidesand pivotally mounted for movement between the guides for a clampingaction with respect to the teeth of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 8th day of June A. D.1911.

ALBERT T. VAN ALSTYN.

Witnesses:

NINA J. HALsNE, FRANCIS A. HOPKINS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

